Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James reacts during a break in play.Source: AP

LEBRON James and the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers have suffered their most-lopsided loss of the NBA season in a 133-99 thrashing by the Toronto Raptors.

The Cavaliers have dropped six of eight dating back to a Christmas Day defeat at defending champion Golden State. James scored 26 points in this loss while Isaiah Thomas missed his first 11 shots.

After losing to Minnesota 127-99 on Tuesday (AEDT), the Cavaliers fell by an even bigger margin. Toronto’s 133 points were the most by any Cavaliers opponent this season, and marked the third straight game that Cleveland has allowed at least 127 points.

“I don’t know where it kind of went wrong or what happened,” James said after the defeat. “We’ve got to try to pick it back up and find it.”

It’s the first time in James’ career he’s been involved in back-to-back losses of 25 points or more and the Cavaliers’ defence is being blasted as “embarrassing”.

Yes, the Cavs D is horrendous. No, they probably weren't fully engaged. Still, the Raptors beat the reigning East champs by 30+ without 2 of their 3 best players in their only TNT game of the season. They turned some heads tonight.

If the latest performance isn’t stinging James enough, former teammate Kyrie Irving subtly twisting the knife on social media is likely to.

An animated James was shown appearing to lay down the law to his teammates during a timemate. Boston star Irving, who parted ways with James and the Cavaliers in controversial circumstances last season, liked a post of the footage on Instagram.

Kyrie Irving likes video of LeBron James chewing out his teammates while trailing by 25 heading into half 😂 pic.twitter.com/AdTSeMxjsU

So, what has been James’ biggest beef with Cleveland’s last two losses?

“That I haven’t played in the fourth quarter,” he said, adding his team is getting “tore up.”

Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 22 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and a season-high 18 rebounds and the Raptors overcame the absences of two starters.

C.J.Miles scored 16 points, Pascal Siakam and Norm Powell each had 14 and DeMar DeRozan 13 for the Raptors, who were without point guard Kyle Lowry (bruised tailbone) and forward Serge Ibaka (suspension). Jakob Poeltl had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors.

VanVleet made six of eight 3-point attempts as the Raptors connected on a season-high 18 shots from beyond the arc.

Toronto’s 12-game home winning streak was snapped in Wednesday’s loss to Miami, but the Raptors bounced back in their first meeting with Cleveland since the Cavaliers swept the Raptors out of the second round of the playoffs last May.

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AUSSIES IN ACTION

Ben Simmons did his All Star hopes no harm with another strong outing in Philadelphia’s disappointing 114-103 to Boston in London.

Simmons had 15 points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks as the 76ers let a 22-point first half lead slip. Read more here.

Aron Baynes started at centre for the Celtics but played just 15 minutes, finishing with six points and three rebound.

Patty Mills went scoreless in San Antonio’s 93-81 loss to the LA Lakers, missing all five scoring attempts but contributing five assists and three rebounds.

AROUND THE NBA

BOSTON CELTICS 114 — PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 103

The Boston Celtics climbed off the mat at London’s O2 Arena, rallying from a 22-point first-half deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-103.

Rookie Jayson Tatum helped turn the tide, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the decisive third period.

Cameroon’s Joel Embiid added 16 points and Aussie Ben Simmons chipped in 15 for Philadelphia and for a time it looked as if the eighth regular-season NBA game to be played in London could see the 76ers on the right side of the kind of blowout that fans there saw last year, when the Denver Nuggets trounced the Indiana Pacers 140-112.

But the Celtics tightened the screws defensively and closed out the second quarter on a 15-3 scoring run before outscoring the Sixers 37-22 to seize control in the third period.

LA LAKERS 93— SAN ANTONIO SPURS 81

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, Lonzo Ball added 18 and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 93-81 for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Larry Nance Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who blew an early 19-point lead before running away in the fourth quarter.

Ball contributed 10 rebounds and six assists as Los Angeles snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Spurs at Staples Center since April 2013, the last time the Lakers made the playoffs.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half for the Spurs, who committed 21 turnovers while playing without injured starters Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Danny Green.

SACRAMENTO KINGS 115 — LA CLIPPERS 121

Tyrone Wallace intercepted a pass at midcourt and drove in for a dunk with 10.9 seconds left, moments after what looked like a costly turnover by Lou Williams, and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Sacramento Kings 121-115 after blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers, who lost DeAndre Jordan to a sprained left ankle in the second quarter, won their third straight over the Kings this season and their 11th in a row at Sacramento.

Williams finished with 30 points and six assists, one night after scoring a career-high 50 against defending champion Golden State.

Blake Griffin had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in his return to the Clippers after missing two games with a concussion, and Montrezl Harrell scored a season-best 25 - including 16 in the second quarter when Los Angeles put up 43 points.